


64. "It's two sugars, right?"

by Kailee008



Series: 100 Ways To Say I Love You [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: 100 Ways to Say I Love You Writing Challenge, Coffee, F/M, Fluff, Kidnapping, Love, bau, quantico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 13:45:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17366975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kailee008/pseuds/Kailee008
Summary: A child is abducted and you and the team have the daunting task of finding him before the worst can happen while also tackling hot coffee and an even hotter boss.





	64. "It's two sugars, right?"

"McGee!" Reid called out. You turned around and saw the skinny boy wonder running toward you, his long hair flopping in his face. You couldn't help but laugh at the scene unfolding in front of you. 

"Yes, boy wonder?" you said still laughing. Once Reid came to a stop, he glared at you as you called him the name he despised. 

"Hotch has called a meeting, super important," Reid said trying to catch his breath. You nodded and both walked quickly into the conference room and took your seats the minute you got inside. 

"Hey, guys sorry to call you in on such a rush but we have a missing 6-year-old boy in Tempe, Arizona. His name is Carter Williams. A man Agent Katie Cole has been tracking down for a number of years has been recently active working out of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Carter was abducted on his way home from school," Hotch said as he handed out the case files. 

"Why was he walking home alone at the age of 6? Isn't that a little young?" Blake asked. 

"He was with his older brother, Jacob, age 9 and their neighbors, Kiley, age 8, and Riley, age 6," Garcia chimed in.

"So he definitely had a wide range of children available to him, yet he chose Carter," Morgan said as he looked over the picture of the children. 

"Yes, Katie says our man has a type, blonde hair, and blue eyes and Carter is the only one that fits that profile," Hotch said. Everyone nodded. 

"It's been 4 hours already since he's been reported missing, time is of the essence. Wheels up in 30," Hotch said. The group grabbed their bags and began to make their way to the tarmac. 

Reid, Rossi, Prentiss, and Morgan sat in the chairs with the tables which left you, JJ and Hotch to scoop up the remaining couches. You and Hotch had an interesting relationship. The first day at the BAU you had run into him with your coffee and spilled it on his suit. It was a running joke with everyone now, but you had been so embarrassed. This also sparked a huge crush that you could not shake. Everything he did made you smile. When he furrowed his eyebrows late at night while he was working on a case. When he crossed his arms when he was unimpressed with something. The way he stood and carried himself made your knees weak. Your daydream was interrupted when JJ asked to take the large couch so she could take a nap. Henry had apparently kept her and Will up all night with a cold. So that left you and Hotch to take the small couch. 

As you sat down next to him, he flashed a small smile at you. This caused your heart to jump out of your chest and into your throat. You felt like a high school girl again, falling for Cooper Aaron-Smith, the senior wide receiver for the football team. 

It was 6-hour flight and most of the time you spent drawing in your journal. Most of the drawings were of flowers, but every once and a while you'd draw people. Today you decided to draw Hotch. It was hard because he was so perfect and no drawing could ever do him justice, but you worked on his eyes first. Those stone cold eyes that melted you to your core. 

About 3 hours in, you were done with his face and only his face. You had to restart a few times and were not happy with the way his nose came out. You had to be sneaky about the way you studied him. While JJ, Prentiss, and Rosi were out cold, Reid and Morgan, the biggest teases of the group, were wide awake and already suspicious of your feelings for the boss man. Hotch had headphones on and was deep into a new book he was reading. It helped that he wasn't paying attention to your long glances. 

Another hour went by before Rossi woke up with a jolt. Reid and Morgan looked at him puzzled but he just shook it off and they began talking about other things. Hotch paused his music and set down his book when he finally caught you staring at him. You panicked and got up and headed straight for the bathroom before he could say anything. 

Hotch got up slowly and looked at the rest of the group who were awake. They all shrugged also not knowing what had just happened. Hotch then walked over to the bathroom door and knocked softly. 

"Everything alright McGee?" Hotch said softly. 

"Yeah yeah, everything's alright Hotch, I'll be out in a sec!" you yelled from inside the bathroom. 

"Okay, no rush, just wanted to make sure you were alright," Hotch said at the same volume. 

"Thanks," you whispered back. Once you heard Hotch's footsteps leave, you breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close one, you thought to yourself. You gathered your composure and then flushed the toilet so no one would think much of it. As you exited, you felt all of their eyes on you, even JJ and Prentiss's. You kept your head down as you made your way back over to your seat. 

"Alright let's go over the case one more time," Rossi said as he whipped out the case file. 

"Okay, Carter gets abducted on his walk home from school with 3 other kids there," Reid began. 

"Agent Katie says she believes it's a man working out of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. He has a type for boys ages 6-8 and with blonde hair and blue eyes," Prentiss chimed in. 

"It looks like he keeps them, none of the boys they believe he's linked to have been found," JJ said. 

"Or he's killed them and they just haven't found the bodies yet," Morgan sadly added. 

"How many is he suspected of taking?" you asked. 

"Katie believes 8 over the span of 5 years," Hotch said. 

"That's a lot of boys, I don't see how he could be keeping them. 8 boys under one roof. I mean he would have to feed them, make sure they all went to school, and etc. A neighbor would have noticed that a man kept bringing home 6-8 year old boys instead of infants. There's not much you can say to throw someone off that track," you said. 

"McGee is right, he can't be keeping them all," Rossi said. 

"Alright, McGee and I will go to the station, talk to their team and Agent Katie. Morgan, JJ, and Blake go to Carter's house, talk to his brother, the neighbors. They must've seen or heard something. Rossi and Reid go to the scene of the abduction and see what you can tell. We land in 30," Hotch said. 

Once the plane landed the team split up into the groups which Hotch assigned. You nervously followed him into the black SUV that was waiting at the tarmac. Hotch could sense the different vibe in the SUV, but he didn't talk about it. Instead, he asked how your family was, which you casually responded with, "they're alright. Sister is graduating with a masters from USC in June,".

He smiled and continued to talk about colleges and his experience. The car ride smoothed over as you both continued to talk. You couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to this man. Despite the 15 year age gap, him 45 and you a mere 20. You, like the boy genius, graduated high school and college early. It made things harder for your older sister since she was the shining star before you were born. She wanted to be a lawyer and had that ambition since she was 8. Then you were born and everything changed. You showed signs of being a young prodigy at the age of 3. 

Once you both arrived at the Tempe police department, the police chief came out to greet you. 

"Hi, I'm Chief Lawernce. Thank God you guys are here," Chief Lawernce said as he stuck out his hand. Hotch shook it but instead, you waved and smiled. Another thing you and boy wonder had in common. No handshakes. 

"Uh sorry, she doesn't do handshakes, my name is SSA Hotchner and this is SSA/Dr. McGee," Hotch said. 

"Well come in, we don't have a lot of time. It'll be dark in 3 hours. Your tech analysis sent over a list of supplies you need, it's all set up in the conference room to the left. Officer Downs will fill you in on the case. I need to meet with the Mayor, excuse me," Chief Lawernce said. You and Hotch went into the department and followed the officer you assumed to be Downs into the conference room. Agent Katie and one of her other agents were already at the table, cases unfolded all over the table and the whiteboard already covered in names. 

"Oh Aaron, thank you for coming," Agent Katie said as she reached to hug him. Hotch hugged her briefly which set your skin on fire. She then turned to you and reached out her hand. You shook your head and she smiled. 

"I'm Agent Katie, and this is SSA Taylor, it's nice to meet you," Agent Katie smiled. 

"Hi, I'm SSA or Dr. McGee," you said. Katie raised her eyebrow at Hotch, which he replied with a simple smile. Again, your skin felt like it could just writher up and fall off. 

"Well let's go over this one more time," Hotchner said. The four of you dived into the case. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

2 hours had passed since the team had split up and finally, the groups were slowly starting to file in. Rossi and Reid were the first to come in. JJ, Morgan, and Blake were close behind. Hotch called Garcia and the conference began. 

"Alright team, what do we got?" Hotch asked.

"Well, the parents didn't know anything. They didn't suspect anything. No suspicious cars had been in the neighborhood or at any of the boy's games or anything like that. Their routine wasn't something someone could easily follow. Dad is in the Coast Guard," Morgan began. 

"Jacob was a bit more help, he said a man had approached them a week ago asking if they would help him find a puppy. He said no and pulled his brother away. They were walking alone that time," JJ chimed in. 

"How'd he separate Carter from the rest? I don't see how he just pulled up alongside them and reached out and grabbed Carter," you questioned.

"Jacob said that he doesn't know how Carter got separated. All of a sudden he, Riley and Kiley turn a corner and a few moments later he realized his brother wasn't with them. He ran back and didn't see him anywhere. They all ran home and told their parents," Morgan said.

"He must've needed to stop for a minute, maybe to tie his shoe. The unsub must've seen this and grabbed him when he could. He may not even wanted to take him today, but given that opportunity, he couldn't resist" Hotch said. 

"Riley and Kiley said they'd approached by the same man, but they were able to give a description. Man in his 30's, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a short beard. Taller than their dad, who's 6'0" but much leaner, and their dad is about 200," Blake added. 

"That kinda matches what we've seen so far on video of him," Katie said. She rummaged through a few files before grabbing a grainy photo of a man tall skinny man wearing a baseball hat holding the hand of a young boy. 

"Alright, Rossi and Reid, anything from the crime scene?" Hotch asked. 

"Well from what we can tell, he must've been following them. They took an unusual route home. Instead of going straight from school to their house, it looks like they skipped a street and were on their way to take a longer way home. If he was just lying in wait, he may have never caught them," Reid said. Rossi just nodded in agreement. 

"Alright, well anything that tells us where this guy is, or who this guy is?" you asked. 

"Well, he has to have a job that allows him off around the time school is out since he was following them. And I'm sure he must've done his research for at least a week or so," JJ added. 

"JJ is right, and he must have a small sedan type of car because the parents didn't notice any large or unusual vehicles in the area. Small sedans are easier to overlook. It also can't be super new or super old. So maybe somewhere between 2003 and 2010," Blake speculated. 

"He's in his 30's, which means he's had time to perfect his "craft" and ruse. He's able to talk to these kids without them being too suspicious. I mean this isn't really a place a stranger would do well in. This community is pretty closed off and has a very specific demographic. Were the other boys taken from similar places?" Hotch asked. 

"Yes! That plus the physical similarities are the only things that connect the boys. Darren Cole, the first boy Agent Katie suspected of being taken by our unsub had no siblings and a single mom. Taylor Green, the second one, and his sister Katelynn were being raised by their grandparents. And Ben Wheeler was being raised by his mom and dad, but they were divorced. He was taken when he was visiting his father for the weekend," Garcia chimed in. 

"Alright, so he must find them in a public place. Supermarket or something, and then when he finds a boy to his liking, he begins to stalk them. Because he not only goes after different types of families, but he also crosses state lines. He has to have a job that allows him to do that or he has a job that is easily transferable to different states with short notice," Morgan said. 

"Okay, well we need to find him and the boy before he moves onto another city," Hotch said. 

"I'll keep digging. Talk to you when I have something," Garcia said before she hung up. Everyone nodded and began to dig deeper into the previous cases to find a connection. You slipped off to catch some fresh air. While you loved being with the team, you also had a slight case of claustrophobia and being with all those people in that small room had made you anxious. 

You sat on the bench outside the station and watched as the sun dipped below the horizon. You hated the fact that you were not much closer to finding Carter. It was now dark and the chances of him being found alive dipped with the sun. 

"You okay McGee?" a deep voice asked. You jumped as you recognized it. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the voice said again. You turned and looked into his dark brown eyes which, at the moment, were filled with concern. 

"Yeah, sorry, just needed some air," you said softly. 

"Okay, well we this is going to be a long night, so take your time. If it'll get that brain to work faster or harder, I'll have you stay out here all night," Hotch joked. You cracked a smile, which caused a smile to appear on his face. Oh god how you loved that smile. It made your usually cold heart melt into a messy puddle. 

"Hey guys, I think I got something," Blake said as she opened the door. She looked at both of you and then raised her eyebrow slightly. You looked down, doing your best to hide your dark red cheeks. Hotchner just nodded and followed Blake inside. You took a deep breath before following the two. The rest of the team were surrounding the whiteboard. 

"Alright what do you got Blake?" Hotchner asked. 

"Okay so we were thinking, how does someone move around a lot in a car that isn't suspicious and can move cities without raising any red flags?" Blake asked. The team all waited for the answer as they obviously didn't know.

"Well there's this new app called Uber, it's like a taxi service except you can use your own car. It officially launched in 2011 in San Fransico and has slowly been spreading across the west coast. This gives him the ability to meet families or even just the parents, then he drops them off at their house. He then can choose the families he targets after he sees what he likes. He is not suspicious because they have signs in their windows, and if a family saw an Uber, they'd assume they were waiting for someone else or dropping someone off. It wouldn't be weird for them to wait around in a residential area," Blake said. 

"Oh wow, that's definitely something new and could definitely be a possibility," Morgan said. He pulled out his phone and rang Garcia. 

"Hello my chocolate thunder, what can I do for you?" Garcia asked.

"You're on speaker, behave," Morgan laughed. 

"Hmm I always behave Daddy," Garcia teased. The rest of the team shuddered while Morgan and you laughed. You had always admired their relationship. It was so sweet and soft without any sexual undertones. 

"Alright baby girl, I need you to see if the William, Cole, Green, and Wheeler family had the app Uber," Morgan said. 

"Let me check..... Oh! Oh! Yes!" Garcia said excitedly. 

"Garcia, check if they have any similar drivers. We think this is how he's finding them," Blake said. 

"Hmm give me a second..... Oh! Blake, you are so smart, yes. They all shared one driver named Parker Holmes. It looks like he drove Darren Cole's mom a week before he was taken. He drove Taylor and Katelynn's grandparents 2 weeks before he was taken. Ben's father took the Uber a week before he went missing and it looks like Mr. William's took an Uber 2 weeks before Carter was taken," Garcia said. 

"We were right, he stalks them after he finds his ideal boy," Agent Katie said. 

"Address?" you asked. 

"Sent to your phones! Be safe lovelies!" Garcia yelled before hanging up. 

"Alright let's get this boy home," Rossi said as he grabbed his bulletproof vest. 

JJ, Rossi, Blake, and Reid took one SUV while you, Morgan, and Hotch were in the other. Morgan had insisted on taking the back seat which left you and Hotch in the front. You wanted to argue with Morgan but that would make it too suspicious and you didn't want the master teaser to have any more dirt on you than he already had. The whole ride you did your best not to stare at Hotch. His driving face was one you admired. It was so serious and to you it was one of the sexiest faces he made. He was completely focused on the road because the team had been in too many accidents to count. He also was focused on the case and catching the bad guy. His eyebrows would furrow and the vein in his neck would sometimes pop out. If Morgan wasn't watching, you'd be undressing Hotch with your eyes in this moment. 

The other SUV had beat you there and their weapons were already drawn. A few local police cars showed up a few seconds after you guys parked. 

"JJ, Blake, and Reid take the back. Rossi, Morgan, and McGee take the front. I'm going to take some of these guys off to the sides, see if there is anything in these woods, like a shed," Hotch said. You looked around and there was a lot of land around. While Tempe was a desert town, it still had palm trees and it was also pitch dark. JJ, Morgan, and Reid crept to the back, and Hotch and the officers took off to look for something on the land. You, Blake, and Rossi took the front. 

Rossi knocked and yelled, "Parker Holmes! This is the FBI, open up!" They heard a glass crash which prompted Rossi to nod at Morgan. Morgan then kicked the door open and you three went in guns up. 

"Parker it's over. Don't make this harder than it needs to be!" Morgan yelled. You heard footsteps going downstairs. 

"Basement!" you yelled. You three ran toward the basement which prompted Blake to open the back door and the rest of the team followed into the house. 

"No some of you have to stay just in case there's another way out!" you yelled as you went down the stairs. Reid and JJ nodded and stayed outside and crept around the sides looking for other ways out. 

When you reached the end of the stairs you found Parker holding Carter in his arms with a gun to Carter's head. 2 other boys were behind him shackled to the wall. 

"Parker put the gun down!" Rossi yelled. 

"No! I'm not going to jail!" Parker yelled and pushed the gun up against the boy's head. 

"Please, hey let's just talk this out," you said calmly. He looked at you, his eyes full of fear and anger. Carter was crying and the other two boys had their heads facing the wall. 

"Hey, look I know you don't want to hurt them. Right? You took them because you care," you said softly. 

"I care!" Parker yelled. 

"I know Parker, but putting a gun to Carter's head isn't showing him you care. Please, let's talk about this. Put the gun down, you're scaring him," you said calmly and then put your gun away. 

"See I put mine down, now let's see you put yours down," you said. 

"Tell them that!" Parker's voice wavered as he pointed at Rossi and Morgan. You could hear Hotch's breath in all the yelling. You realized Parker couldn't see him so he must've snuck in during all the commotion. 

"Rossi, Morgan put your weapons down," you said strongly. They both looked at you and then at each other. 

"Please, we can resolve this. I know we can. Right, Parker?" I asked. Rossi put his weapon back in his holster while Morgan just lowered his to his side. You could sense that Hotch still had his trained on Parker just in case he tried anything. Parker then lowered his weapon which collectively allowed everyone to breathe for a second. 

"Alright Parker, you need to let these boys go. I know you don't want to hurt them," you said. 

"No! They're mine. I love them," Parker shouted. Carter cried harder which was obviously frustrating Parker. 

"Hey Carter, it's okay buddy. You're okay," you said calmingly. Carter's sobs continued. Parker took a deep breath and his eyebrows furrowed at the child. 

"Shut up!" Parker yelled at the boy. Carter bit his lip trying to muffle his cries but he couldn't. He just sobbed harder. You took a step forward with your hands up trying to get them both to calm down. Parker noticed you moving and drew his weapons. He shot, but not before Hotch shot him too. He dropped the boy and fell to the ground. The next sequence of events happened in such a slow manner, you weren't even sure if time was moving. Rossi and Morgan tackled Parker to the ground. Blake, JJ, and Reid ran in. JJ grabbed Carter and the other two unchained the other two boys and carried them out of the basement. Two strong arms grabbed you and pulled you close. 

"Are you hurt!?" Hotch yelled. 

"I-I don't know," you muttered. Suddenly a sharp pain hit your shoulder. You looked over and saw blood soaking your brand new blue button up you. 

"We need a medic!" Hotch yelled. He looked down into brown eyes with a look of such concern and worry. You reached up and caresses his cheek. 

"I'm going to be okay Hotch," you whispered. 

"I know, just, keep talking. Help is on the way," Hotch whispered. He pressed his forehead against yours and held you close. Your heart fluttered as you felt his touch. You couldn't believe this is how your first real contact happened. You bleeding out onto his nice suit pants. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

You suddenly woke up to the sound of rapid beeping. Rossi shot up from his chair and took your hand. 

"Hey McGee it's me. You're okay honey," Rossi said soothingly. Your heart beat against your ribcage and your head throbbed against your skull. Rossi stroked your hand and kept talking in his soothing tone until your breathing and heart rate was back to normal. 

"What happened?" you asked. 

"Well, you passed out soon after you were shot. We locked Parker up and reunited Carter, Taylor, and Ben back to their caretakers," Rossi said. 

"What about Darren?" you asked softly. Rossi's head dropped and his thumb gently caressed your hand. 

"He killed Darren shortly before he took Carter. He was too old for him. He lead us to the body so the Cole family will have some peace," Rossi whispered. You nodded and sighed. Not exactly the perfect happy ending, but your team had saved 3 boys. That was a victory in most books. Suddenly you heard a set of footsteps that caused the heart rate monitor to start beeping. You blushed and Rossi smiled. He got up and winked at you before leaving and patting Hotch on the shoulder. 

Hotch took the seat which was just occupied by Rossi and smiled at you. 

"It's two sugars, right?" Hotch asked. You laughed and nodded.

"I can't believe you remembered," you smiled. 

"Well how can I forget what was spilled on me," Hotch teased. You took the coffee and hid your face behind it. Hotch just smiled and lowered the coffee. You smiled at him and looked into his beautiful brown eyes. 

"I'm glad you're okay," Hotch said. 

"I am just glad the boys are okay," you said. Hotch nodded and took your free hand. You both sat in silence for a few minutes before your silent conversation with your eyes hand reached an impasse. Then the unexpected happened, Hotch leaned in and kissed your lips. You were so taken back you almost dropped your coffee on you, but Hotch caught it before it spilled. You both laughed against each other's lips.

"We gotta stop meeting like this," Hotch laughed. You slapped his shoulder playfully and then kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! This is my first Criminal Minds fanfic. I hope you enjoy it. I absolutely love Hotchner and I want to keep him alive as long as possible! Please leave comments and kudos. I would love to hear your feedback. Hope you're having a great night/day whenever you're reading this!  
> xoxo


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